Maybe players who play DV don’t play other games. I’ve played plenty of other games, and there aren’t too many that let you collect everything without making purchases. While that’s good for people who like to play for free, that’s not good for DECA, and it’s likely why BFS closed.
To be fair, BFS closed because Hasbro was losing money in their mobile gaming division. They had a lot of titles that were really hurting and had very high cost. They shut it all down, likely to stop the bleeding and for whatever tax breaks that gets them. It was my understanding that Dragonvale was one of the few making money, which is also why Deca was willing to pick it up. Their model is to rescue games that still have a good potential to make money.
And yes, DV is one of the very few games still out there that lets you get everything without paying. Even many PC/Console games are moving towards a pay to play model, which is sad.
DragonVale is pretty much the only game I played when I was younger that I can still play now. I can't afford to spend money on games, and I'd never satisfy the greed of the developers of cash-grabby games anyway, but I've tried quite a few games and they all pretty much force you to pay. With the added fact of forced ads, which are in some way worse. You literally can't play, for example, Dragon City anymore because of those darn forced ads. And recently, the only other games I've played where I wouldn't have to pay are nowhere near as complex, fun and interesting as DragonVale.
DV is great for free-to-play players, it doesn't even have forced ads for goodness sake (you wouldn't believe how happily shocked I was when I started playing DV again, after finally giving up on Dragon City, to realise that ads weren't popping up left right and centre), and as I think either you or samiam mentioned, the few aspects that are probably not intended to be free-to-play are very much optional things (e.g. Ts'aishen/Dragon Draw).
That doesn't change my opinion that they could have easily handled Mesmerus a lot better after the accidental release. But I can't say enough how glad I am that DV is not pay-to-play. If I could afford to spend money on games then I would spend money of DragonVale (even if only for the RBC runes). (To be honest a lot of developers of pay-to-play games could learn from DV... it's not rocket science to realise that people are far more likely to be willing to spend money if you don't force them to...)
A paytoplay style is most successful through offering multiple types of purchases.
Monthly pass: get currency for 5€ over a month that would cost 60€ to purchase all at once. Combine with login reward and raising rewards in level to get someone hooked on the extra income from monthly or lifetime passes.
For 30€ upfront (lifetime) and 5€ a month you can double your income.
Seemingly, this pays well enough. "Whales", the people buying the expensive offers frequently -- are the other category. But, you want enough normal offers to not drive people away.
Bonus: decrease playtime demands with rising levels /or/ VIP rank. Automate claiming almost everything.
Depending on which crowd you need, a game can have, say, massive amounts of grinding (like Diablo immortal*) or very little /necessary/ daily play time.**
*VIPs have the benefit of beating up f2p or just people spending less. However, f2p can experience the full game. Without the f2p, the VIP would have little enjoyment.
**VIPs will beat up each other to be #1 on the server. Grow in power the quickest. They don't harm f2p per se, but f2p are locked out of parts special stories or characters. They may still get them, but only after saving up a lot -- or just later. VIPs don't care about the f2p's existence.
I’ve got a lot of other things to complete in the Forum right now, so I’ll address the questions / posts that have accumulated later. Cheers!
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In case you missed its introduction during Camp DragonVale, Deca has a new mini-game called Eggy Hatchy. While it is super exciting, it’s also wildly confusing.
I just had a random thought while doing today's Eggy Hatchy. If you manage to get a level 11+ egg (either because of lots of treat icons, identical eggs, or bad luck when trying to get element goals), does it have the usual breeding boost for rare/epic dragons?
Not something terribly important or ground-breaking, but I was wondering whether anyone knew the answer.
The Eggy breeding rules appear to be the same as the game. So merging 11 eggs isn’t necessarily going to increase your chances of getting an epic. But if you’re merging that many eggs, then you’re likely adding more elements, which opens up the pool to epics like Surprise and the Rainbows.
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Maybe players who play DV don’t play other games. I’ve played plenty of other games, and there aren’t too many that let you collect everything without making purchases. While that’s good for people who like to play for free, that’s not good for DECA, and it’s likely why BFS closed.
To be fair, BFS closed because Hasbro was losing money in their mobile gaming division. They had a lot of titles that were really hurting and had very high cost. They shut it all down, likely to stop the bleeding and for whatever tax breaks that gets them. It was my understanding that Dragonvale was one of the few making money, which is also why Deca was willing to pick it up. Their model is to rescue games that still have a good potential to make money.
And yes, DV is one of the very few games still out there that lets you get everything without paying. Even many PC/Console games are moving towards a pay to play model, which is sad.
Hasbro still has mobile games under Hasbro, Inc. Backflip’s closure seemed to be the result of the studio not making enough money. While DragonVale was profitable, they were lacking other successful games in their later years. Since DV didn’t make enough to carry Backflip, Hasbro shut it down. If DV made more money, then maybe Backflip would still be around. So I suppose part of it was due to DragonVale not earning enough, and part of it was due to a lack of other notable titles.
Long live DragonVale!
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I see a lot of players worried about missing the purchase of Mesmerus when they're missing the Mesmer dragon. If you own a Mesmer dragon, it's just 10k for the decorations and 1k for the evolve, which isn't much more than the cost briefly was for buying Mesmerus directly. Purchasing a Mesmer is an additional 10k, which may not have been in your budget if you're trying to buy all the new dragons.
Every recent event has given us a reward on the final reward day from the event island that allows us to pick almost any of the previous released dragons from the event. It's very likely that the same will occur here, and you can pick up a Mesmer for free at the end. Then there is some free time before the event closes, use that time to clone Mesmer in your social cave with another Mesmer and have extra copies for the Mesmerus evolution.
And if you don't want to spend the final 1k event currency to evolve, there is always the option to wait until the event ends and spend 100 gems to evolve instead. I personally value the gems more, but everyone has their own thing.
I don’t mean to be a negative Nelly, but doesn’t the shadow in the giftery look like an egg or chest on the last day when they let us choose a previously released dragon?
I don’t mean to be a negative Nelly, but doesn’t the shadow in the giftery look like an egg or chest on the last day when they let us choose a previously released dragon?
It was the same for Garden Noms and the Om of Noms the year before - they didn't look like a chest. Given the pattern I think it's *fairly* safe to assume the final gift will be a dragon.
Follow-up question: I've never actually checked, because the dragons I've wanted have always been available, but is it usually/always the case that all non-new-releases are available for the gift? I've seen plenty of comments that heavily imply (by which I mean pretty much outright say, without actually writing the specific wording) that it's just a selection, but as I say I've always been able to get the dragon I wanted, so I didn't know if I'd just been lucky or if the comments were wrong.
The last gift in the event daily rewards calendar is a dragon you can select. As far as the dragons that will be available, that can vary. It is not always every returning dragon in the event market. It’s more like an assortment curated by Deca.
The only guarantee is that the new event dragons are never included.
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The talk about not being able to buy all the dragons surprises me. Although I often buy 1 of the new dragons each event, the fun for me is being able to breed dragons, not buy them. We don’t need to be competing with each other to see who gets dragons first; we’re each building our own park. We all play our own game, so there’s no wrong way, but I feel like those who focus on buying dragons are racing to hit all the goals and may be missing one of the most fun aspects of the game.
I had posted a problem with the Mesmer dragon. I was trying to use the wrong dragon to evolve. I am sorry if I caused any problems for anyone. Thank you! Joie
Last Edit: Feb 20, 2023 0:34:35 GMT -6 by joie1974: Error
I've seen some people talking about their own ways of playing. Some people, not necessarily people here, have been presenting their way of playing as the only way. It's through no fault of their own; they just have been, without noticing.
We all know there's no wrong way to play DragonVale. Some people like to take it really, really slowly. I've got no problem with that, no one should have a problem with it. Some people obviously try to breed dragons without buying any/many. I've got no problem with that, no one should have a problem with it. No one's comparing themselves to others; I've seen a few very new players who have asked whether they're doing well for level X or X days in, but you quickly learn that progression in DragonVale isn't comparable.
But focusing on getting all the dragons from an event isn't missing the point. I myself get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I've got no problem with that, no one should have a problem with it.
As an example: - During the Camping Under the Stars event, which I started playing halfway through, I wasn't making any practical decisions. I didn't know how breeding worked (I still thought it was the case for any dragon that it could be the result of a breed that used the dragon's shown elements) and spent all my EC on the Zodiacs because I liked them. In hindsight I really wish I hadn't. - Then came the Halloween event. There were loads of dragons in that event, and although by that point I'd decided to work on completing the Dragonarium, I came nowhere near to getting all the dragons. Going off of how many dragons I needed from the current Dragons' Week, off the top of my head I think there were 15 dragons I didn't manage to get, even though I was spending EC as practically as possible. - Garden Noms was amazing. It was the Marmite of events, with a lot of people saying they loved it because of how few dragons there were (I was part of that group) and others saying there should be many more available. I can't understate how much I loved that event. I managed to get everything besides Standstone and Diggy in my main park. This gave me a huge sense of satisfaction. - About a week or two before Garden Noms ended, I decided to create miniature parks to aid with Dragonarium completion. I know it's effectively no different from Co-Opping with others, but a) if you're not Co-Opping with yourself, you have to find someone who can put the dragon up, and the likelihood is it will be changed before you get it and b) I knew it would take forever to complete the Dragonarium and wanted more of ✨that Garden Noms feelin'✨. There is nothing wrong with the fact I get satisfaction from that, just as there is nothing wrong with the fact that some people get enjoyment from being the metaphorical tortoise as I saw someone say once. I'm not usually a metaphorical hare (to follow the analogy) - more of a robin to be honest 😉 - but in DragonVale, I simply enjoy getting everything. There - is - nothing - wrong - with - that. - Due to the Pumpkin Pads being overpowered in terms of EC:DC and the Greenhouses being available, my three main miniature parks got very well developed by the time Frostivale Yulebration was coming to a close. With the end of event gifts, five total miniature parks (two of which only get slightly developed since I only use them for sending myself gems/treats and quick tasks) and I think one session of plant farming in my main park on the triple day, I managed to get every Frostivale Yulebration dragon in at least one of my parks. It wasn't the same feeling as Garden Noms (😭), but it was something, and I enjoyed it, a lot. I'm quite nerdy, so I enjoyed working out what I needed to breed and whether I could use my miniature parks effectively to get one or two element-only dragons from breeding and so on and so fourth. It was fun. You're very welcome to feel that that isn't something you'd enjoy; I see why a lot of people wouldn't. But I, and others like me, shouldn't be shamed for having fun by being nerdy in a game I played as a kid or trying to get everything. - Then came Lovely Doubly. Four unbreedables at the start, albeit two have very high Co-Op odds. Four breedable limiteds and then Mesmerus. Obviously I have to get Mesmerus in my main account because it's an evolution dragon so I can't Co-Op it over, so I changed the plan that I'd already made of what I'd get where, to include getting Mesmerus in my main park. I made the in-hindsight-very-awkward assumption I would be able to buy it directly, hence why I am now kicking myself for not buying it when I was literally right there and decided to wait for whatever stupid reason, but whatever, this comment isn't about the quote unquote 'bumpy' release of Mesmerus. Even despite the Mesmerus setback, with me getting Nomnoter from breeding, I'm now pretty sure I'm going to be able to get every dragon in at least one park. Again, that's going to give me a sense of satisfaction.
The TL;DR of my above essay-ramble is that I enjoy getting everything (gimme some of that Garden Noms feelin' 😭), and that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I do. I can't help the fact that I enjoy it. I, and others like me, shouldn't be effectively told that the way we play is wrong, or missing the point, because there's no wrong way to play DragonVale.
⚠️Reminder⚠️: this isn't aimed at anyone. My original comment wasn't either, albeit I commited the heinous crime of referencing someone to show my point. I just need to get this off my chest, because it's bugging me. A LOT. People shouldn't be made to feel bad, or like the way they enjoy playing is wrong, just because they aren't identical to others. I don't see why I shouldn't be allowed to present my opinion, even though it clearly isn't the prevalent one, since other people are presenting their own opinions.
The only guarantee is that the new event dragons are never included.
I remember when Singularity was part of the market in one of the events (it was either the first Camp DragonVale or first Circus event) and, though I wanted to get it on the last day to have a rift trait one, it wasn't available to pick.
At least it was the next year.
The Original One is in all things. The Original One is nowhere at all. From all creations, over all creations, does Arceus watch over all.
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The only guarantee is that the new event dragons are never included.
Never say never, they were in a couple of the older events pre Deca!
I love your infinite optimism.
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So, Lovesick reminds me of the dragon from Mulan. Obviously there is a lot of dragons that hit the animated Beauty and the Beast. Now Nomnoter reminds me of Elliot from the original Pete’s dragon. This event really has a Disney feel.
So, Lovesick reminds me of the dragon from Mulan. Obviously there is a lot of dragons that hit the animated Beauty and the Beast. Now Nomnoter reminds me of Elliot from the original Pete’s dragon. This event really has a Disney feel.
Now that I look at it, Nomnoter is certainly similar to Pete's Dragon.
The Original One is in all things. The Original One is nowhere at all. From all creations, over all creations, does Arceus watch over all.
Sometimes I am afraid, there will always be a one way to play DragonVale.
Not for us. But, for whoever at DECA is calculating event costs and market balance.
Consequently, problems with event costs and balance will lead back to how-to-play DV. There is some model and if you play otherwise, you'll fall back in collecting dragons.
I know I don't make the cut. For one, I'm not playing enough. Second, I don't spend gems to get dragons I don't like. Third, I spend almost everything on decorations. Habitats and their upgrades, depending.
For example, I know when the pirate event drops, I will pursue the thankless task of upgrading my paradise habitats to medium. Just enough for it to look like I want. That it's one more slot at equal size is interesting, but for the "wrong" reason.
There is a right way to play DV to DECA. I'm doing it wrong in the rift. I'm doing it wrong in the vale...
But, so what? The "punishment" or "cost" -- depending on how you see it -- doesn't affect me much. I get the odd regret like staying for one dragon and being able to clone /everything/ but it. And Grinch.
However, if you're a collector? The right way to play DV will matter. After all, if DECA gets their model wrong, it could be an error of calculation. Or, it could be that you need to change your playstyle. It is always relevant. I get why people are mad.
The next big issue, is that one mistake from DECA will cost you your red fire or a wish. You only have so many wishes. The mistake has lasting impact for months. Or, perhaps your bad luck and unadapted playstyle did? Maddening. I'm just glad I stepped out of that grind.
Hello everybody, I know some of you are not pleased with the event or other elements of the game. We’ve had lots of thoughtful discussions about the topic over the last four days, and there has been sufficient time and opportunity for everyone to have their say. Unfortunately, it’s now becoming off-topic for the event thread, and this can be frustrating and disruptive for players who are trying to read the thread for event info. If anyone has any additional concerns, please message me.
Thank you for your understanding. ❤️
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Today I tried for a Rifted Mesmer, so I could have a good base for Mesmerus (two Rifted means I can get a Rifted and normal egg, as well as more Rifted or untraited as needed).
Success on the first try. Single parent cloning produced another. Two parent cloning gave me a third and fourth, all before 10k Etherium. I think that’s a win! All I need are some idols are we’re good to go 😎
GCID: NinjaKiwi. *remember the full stop!*
DVID: NinjaKiwi#3970
Currently breeding for whatever twins I can possibly get my hands on
Today I tried for a Rifted Mesmer, so I could have a good base for Mesmerus (two Rifted means I can get a Rifted and normal egg, as well as more Rifted or untraited as needed).
Success on the first try. Single parent cloning produced another. Two parent cloning gave me a third and fourth, all before 10k Etherium. I think that’s a win! All I need are some idols are we’re good to go 😎
For me, it didn't take long to get Mesmer from rift breeding, but it took FOREVER (like, three days up to 10k) to clone enough of them to have a pedestal, three rift ones, and an unrifted one.
The Original One is in all things. The Original One is nowhere at all. From all creations, over all creations, does Arceus watch over all.
I really don't understand their pricing either. $25 for 9.5k roses, which won't fully buy a new dragon. I would never pay that. I used to buy event currency in the earliest events from Backflip, when they'd offer enough currency to buy a dragon for $5. A few events a year and I felt perfectly happy sending them $5 each time for a game I enjoyed. There's almost nothing worth buying anymore, currency is WAY too low for the cost, even gems are much too low. Extra Runic Caves are the only thing that tempts me now, and that's only twice a year. I understand Deca needs to make money, I just can't imagine how they're doing it with the current pricing scheme. Offer 10k roses for 5 dollars and they'll get more takers. Offer 1000 gems for 10 dollars, and they'll get more takers. I play other games that offer much higher value rewards for a much smaller amount paid, and I occasionally throw them money.
This may be bringing up some of the previous off-topic posts, but I think this is a really interesting point that Deca should consider. I have never considered buying EC in the market because it doesn’t make sense to have to pay so much for so little. However, if I could spend $5 and receive enough EC to buy 2 or even 3 dragons from the event, I feel like I would do that nearly every event, especially when I am close to collecting every dragon from the event. I would think that $5 every event would be a lot better for Deca than me never buying anything, but maybe there are enough buyers that it would be less beneficial to price it that way. I have seen a lot of talk about Deca trying to squeeze money out of players, but I think it would be easier to get players to pay when they feel they are getting a good deal. On the other hand, making EC cheap to purchase may take away from the point of the game, and maybe Deca really does want us to collect the dragons the “hard way.” I do try to make a purchase every once in a while to support the game, but some purchases are way to expensive to justify.
I really don't understand their pricing either. $25 for 9.5k roses, which won't fully buy a new dragon. I would never pay that. I used to buy event currency in the earliest events from Backflip, when they'd offer enough currency to buy a dragon for $5. A few events a year and I felt perfectly happy sending them $5 each time for a game I enjoyed. There's almost nothing worth buying anymore, currency is WAY too low for the cost, even gems are much too low. Extra Runic Caves are the only thing that tempts me now, and that's only twice a year. I understand Deca needs to make money, I just can't imagine how they're doing it with the current pricing scheme. Offer 10k roses for 5 dollars and they'll get more takers. Offer 1000 gems for 10 dollars, and they'll get more takers. I play other games that offer much higher value rewards for a much smaller amount paid, and I occasionally throw them money.
This may be bringing up some of the previous off-topic posts, but I think this is a really interesting point that Deca should consider. I have never considered buying EC in the market because it doesn’t make sense to have to pay so much for so little. However, if I could spend $5 and receive enough EC to buy 2 or even 3 dragons from the event, I feel like I would do that nearly every event, especially when I am close to collecting every dragon from the event. I would think that $5 every event would be a lot better for Deca than me never buying anything, but maybe there are enough buyers that it would be less beneficial to price it that way. I have seen a lot of talk about Deca trying to squeeze money out of players, but I think it would be easier to get players to pay when they feel they are getting a good deal. On the other hand, making EC cheap to purchase may take away from the point of the game, and maybe Deca really does want us to collect the dragons the “hard way.” I do try to make a purchase every once in a while to support the game, but some purchases are way to expensive to justify.
I agree with this, and I think you're right — it seems that the only reason why they'd make EC and so on so expensive is to encourage people not to spend money on it.
Kind of like how most/all dragon gem prices are ridiculous, to encourage you to breed them/wait for them to show up for EC.
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